U.s. Education Secretary Briefed On County School Drug Program

January 30, 1992|By EARL DANIELS, Education Writer

A Palm Beach County school-based drug-abuse and prevention program drew praise on Wednesday from Lamar Alexander, U.S. secretary of education.

The county`s umbrella of drug-abuse programs was the centerpiece of a lively conference call with Alexander; Alison Adler, drug specialist for the Palm Beach County School Board; and a principal from a middle school in New Mexico.

The telephone conference call, titled the America 2000 Daily Conference Call, is part of a national daily news conference that allows educators and officials around the country an opportunity to share information toward reaching national education goals under the America 2000 program.

Adler and the school official from New Mexico described the efforts waged to fight drug-abuse.

``I am appreciative to the president for his efforts in promoting drug-free schools,`` Adler said during the five-minute talk.

The district recently received $200,000 from the federal government to enhance drug-abuse programs for at-risk students.

Drug-free schools is one of six goals under the America 2000 plan. The goal states: by 2000, every school in America will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.

America 2000 is a national strategy that involves local control and initiative to focus on education reform community-by-community and school-by- school.

The county has programs for children at-risk of alcohol abuse, which include Al-A-Teen for sixth through 12th grades, Young Al-A-Teen for fourth and fifth grades, and Alcohol Anonymous groups for ninth through 12th grades.

``We are real happy about our efforts, because this is pretty new ground that we are exploring here in Florida,`` Adler said.

The money set aside by the government has allowed the district to expand the Children Are People program, a drug-abuse program for third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students who need extra assistance dealing with alcoholism.

This program includes after-school counseling sessions that promote parent- children communication.

The program will serve six schools this year, including 576 students and their families, and next year an additional grant will allow the service to encompass six more schools.